At Wit's End
by Rozemere
Summary: Emira is your typical weapon in Death City, which means either a painful past, a startling story, or some sort of amazing adventure she'll embark upon. But what if all 3 apply? Follow Emira as she wanders down a road filled with hope, love, and madness.
1. A New Hope

**Chapter One/ A New Hope**

**In case you're wondering, yes, I DID watch Star Wars last night.**

**Also, expect the quality of my writing to greatly improve while I write this story. It's fine now, but I have the feeling that once I get really into the story, it'll turn out ten times better.**

**Another note – I hate it when people put an (A/N) in the middle of a story. What a great way to completely take the reader out of the story. The only notes you'll see from me are up here or at the end of the chapter.**

Rain rattled the windows and charred the usually sunny sky. It was early morning, but grey clouds loomed over Death City, heartily delivering the promised torrential downpour. Emira lay curled up in her bed, her crying cloaked by the sheets of rain pounding the roof.

"Teddy..." she cried. She slipped in and out of consciousness, the rain soothing her despite her wishes, and she pulled the blankets tighter around her as sobs wracked her body. There was a sudden knock on the door, and Emira jerked awake.

"Emira, dear, can I come in?" An old woman asked. Emira stood and stumbled slightly – she hadn't left her bed for days. She glanced at her reflection as she walked past her desk, and took a sharp intake of breath. What was she doing to herself? Her usually smooth reddish-brown hair was a mess, and a week's worth of tears made her blue eyes glisten unnaturally. She unlocked the door and pulled it open, beckoning the old woman inside.

"Anne, I'm really sorry. I –" but Anne put a finger to Emira's lips, silencing her, and drew her into a tender hug.

"We all miss your brother, darling, you're not alone." Anne whispered soothingly. Emira squirmed in her grip, guilt overtaking her.

"If I hadn't been sick that day, I could have saved him. I'm his weapon; it's not easy fighting with another partner!" She cried, her body shaking slightly. Anne shook her head.

"The witches he was up against were strong, you would have been killed too. They were going after both of you." She said, stepping back and squeezing Emira's hand. Emira looked down, ashamed. She was right.

"I know this is hard for you, especially after everything you two have been through, but please, take care of yourself. I can't bear to see you like this." Anne begged, tears glistening in her eyes. Emira nodded obediently, and was shuffled off to the shower.

She stepped out of the bathtub and wrapped a towel around herself, her face set with determination. She needed to do something, anything, to help DWMA in their war against the witches. She walked out of the bathroom in a long robe, heading towards her bedroom, but stopped as she saw an old man shuffling towards her with a gleeful glint in his eye.

"Stan, why the face?" She asked curiously.

"Emira, there's someone from DWMA at the door. They said they were looking for you." Stan replied excitedly, before running back downstairs with surprising speed. Emira dressed quickly, combed her hair for the first time in days, and checked herself in the mirror before heading downstairs. She smiled – she felt composed, and dare she say it, slightly happy as she gazed at her reflection. She hurried downstairs after making sure everything was in order, and rolled her eyes – Stan had forgotten to invite the person inside.

Emira opened the front door curiously, only to be met by a large, blue man, whose teeth reminded her vaguely of some mouse-like animal's in a game she used to play.

"Can I help you?" She asked, moving outside and shutting the door.

"You're Emira? Lord Death has requested a meeting with you. He was hoping you could come as soon as possible." He said. Emira stared at him in shock – Lord Death request a meeting, with _her_? She felt a vague thrill of excitement.

"All right," she said, hardly suppressing a grin, "lead the way."

Anne and Stan lived on the outskirts of Death City, and Emira was thankful that she had thought to bring her sweater – wind swept about them, buffeting her hair and sweeping up a myriad of golden autumn leaves. Soon they were ascending DWMA's steps, the breeze picking up considerably.

"I forgot how big this place was," said Emira, pulling her sweater tight around her. "Say, who are you again?" She mentally hit herself – how had she not remembered to ask? He looked at her curiously, but a look of realization soon replaced it.

"Ah, you wouldn't recognize me now. I'm Sid." He replied, and Emira started in surprise.

"But... what? You're _blue_, Sid. What happened?" She was uncertain how to express her shock, but Sid got the gist of it.

"It's a funny story, actually," he said, laughing. "Long story short, I got turned into a zombie." There was a moment of awkward silence.

"Interesting." Emira forced out. He led the rest of the way in silence while she gazed at the different facets of the school in wonder – it looked so different through her adult eyes.

"We're almost to the Death Room," Sid said, snapping Emira out of her reverie. Sure enough, they were soon passing through large guillotine arches. Emira gazed up at them cautiously, unnerved despite their familiarity. The arches eventually opened into a large room surrounded by an artificial sky swirling with clouds, and Emira let out a sigh of relief. They walked up the steps to a small platform, where Lord Death and a tall man with a bolt through his head stood waiting.

"Emira, it's nice to see you again!" Lord Death said, waving at her with his overly-large, comical hand.

"Nice to see you too," she said, grinning. Lord Death certainly hadn't changed – he was as unaccountably chipper as always.

"I understand your brother was killed seven days ago?" He asked, his tone suddenly somber. A shadow passed over her face, and she nodded slowly, her eyes not leaving the ground.

"I wanted to talk with you today because I think you're in considerable danger. As you know, the first war against the witches ended nearly twelve years ago. Thanks to your parents I was able to sneak in and capture Chiroto, the witch leading the operation. The problem is, now that she's escaped, it's almost certain that she'll try to come after you, especially after what she did to your brother." He paused, and the man with the screw looked up curiously, apparently interested in the conversation.

"I never understood that, why would she come after me?" She asked, looking up helplessly at Lord Death.

"Chiroto is extremely vengeful. Your parents almost killed her, and she was imprisoned almost immediately after. She already killed your parents, but apparently that wasn't enough. For her, it seems, as long as someone of their descent is alive, they're still a threat. Emira, I brought you here because I'd like to put you under DWMA's protection for the duration of the war. Living on the outskirts of Death City isn't a wise choice in times like these." Lord Death sighed, and continued. "If you'll agree to this, I can offer you a new home and a job as a teacher here at DWMA. You were the best weapon in your year, so you'd easily qualify." Emira held up a hand, a little overwhelmed by the speed of things. She felt like she needed a while to mull it over, but judging by Lord Death's tone, he wanted an answer now.

"Well... I mean, where would I live?" She asked, desperate to buy time.

"Ah, I'm glad you asked. Seeing as you're now without a meister, and Spirit has to stay here as my Death Scythe for the duration of this war, it would only be fitting for you to be Dr. Stein's partner. You were both excellent students, and your personal wavelength should match up with his nicely." said Lord Death, scratching the back of his head nervously. Emira caught this and glared at him suspiciously.

"But you didn't answer me, where would I be living?" She asked, his lack of information making her uneasy. _Hold on a second, Dr. Stein? Why does that name sound familiar? _She thought, puzzled.

"I did say it would be unwise for you to be living on the outskirts of Death City, and Dr. Stein's house is very close to the school. As long as you're partners, why not live at his house?" Lord Death said happily, apparently oblivious to her splutter of shock.

"I... I couldn't! I mean..." Emira squirmed awkwardly – she felt extremely uncomfortable about all of this. She had lived with her brother and her kind, old neighbors for more than half her life – how could Lord Death suddenly ask her to do something so spontaneous? There was a heavy silence as she hurriedly pondered over what to do, which was broken only by the occasional _whoosh_ of a curling cloud passing by.

"I'll do it," Emira said quietly. She had to admit, she wanted nothing more than to help fight against the witches. She could also use a distraction from thinking about her brother, and now that she thought about it, would she really be happy continuing to sleep in the same room they had shared for so long? It brought back so many painful memories just thinking about it.

"Are you all right?" The man she now suspected to be Dr. Stein asked. She froze, and hastily wiped away a tear.

"Oh, yeah, of course." murmured Emira, blushing in embarrassment. Suddenly she remembered why the name felt so familiar – Dr. Stein was the best meister to graduate from DWMA.

"In any case, I'll send a truck to your house in an hour or two so you can move your things." Lord Death sang happily, dismissing the two. Emira returned down the long row of glistening guillotine arches, slightly dazed at the turn of events. She would be teaching at the school that she and her brother had learned at, and fighting alongside Dr. Stein for the duration of the war. One thing was for sure – something exciting was bound to turn out. She imagined how thrilled her brother would have been to get so close to the action between DWMA and the witches, and could barely suppress a grin.

**All right, that wasn't as good as I'd hoped. I'm not extremely motivated right now, so my writing isn't as detailed or descriptive as I would like. Also, I had to pack a lot of info into a short little scene, which was quite the challenge.**

**Besides that, did anyone catch the reference to Pokémon when she was talking to Sid? His teeth really do make him look like a Rattata.**

**I LOVE feedback – questions, comments, criticism... the more the better!**


	2. The Clearing Sky

**Chapter Two/ The Clearing Sky**

**I'll admit, a rather uncreative - yet very symbolic - title. It's not just referring to the weather!**

The sky had cleared, and the sun beat down heavily on Death City through the newly parted clouds. Emira muttered darkly as she hauled her belongings into Dr. Stein's house, the heat making her now-useless sweater cling to her uncomfortably. Aside from the heat, her new surroundings were making her doubt her decision to move here. Emira had been alarmed to notice that not only did Dr. Stein have stitches running along his face and who-knows-where-else, but his house was home to a nearly overwhelming array of them as well. She dragged a despicably heavy box up to her new room, the spare bedroom upstairs, and tossed it onto her bed with a huff. Emira sat down, recovering her breath, and thanked herself for bringing so few possessions. She doubted she could haul in more than a few boxes in this weather. Dr. Stein sauntered into the room with a box apparently much lighter than hers, but stopped as he saw her straining for breath. A small grin spread across his face.

"There's only two boxes left, you know. I could bring them in for you." He said, placing his box near the end of her bed. She stubbornly shook her head and stood up.

"I don't want to be a bother, I'll help as much as I can." Emira insisted, smiling assuringly at him. He seemed to consider his answer carefully, and nodded after a moment of thought.

"We'd better finish bringing in the boxes soon. It looks like rain is on its way." He said, glancing out the window. She stared at him in disbelief.

"You have to be kidding me! What's with all this bizarre weather?" Asked Emira incredulously, marching past him and down the stairs.

"Autumn weather in Death City is usually volatile, but it _has_ been worse recently…" Dr. Stein mumbled thoughtfully, following Emira out the door and to the truck. She heaved her box out of the large vehicle, nearly toppled over, and was barely caught by Dr. Stein.

"I guess this is what happens after you lay in bed for a week," she muttered, embarrassed. "You go on, I got this." Emira commanded, though Dr. Stein looked doubtful as he easily carried his box inside the house. She set her box on the ground and sat on top of it, scolding herself for being so weak. She was going to be battling against witches shortly – even if she was in her weapon form for the battle, her reduced physical state was bound to have some affect on their skill...

"Oh, is someone moving here?" A gentle voice asked from somewhere behind Emira. She jumped in surprise – she had assumed she was alone.

"Er... hi there." Emira replied flatly, turning around and meeting a young woman's gaze. She had somehow sad-looking blue eyes, and pale blond hair that tossed in the wind on queue.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to startle you! I'm Tsuki, I live nearby. I just thought I'd introduce myself..." She mumbled, looking almost angry with herself.

"No, no, it's all right. I'm Emira, I just moved into Dr. Stein's house." she said, tapping the box she stood next to. Tsuki frowned in confusion.

"Did you two get married?" She asked, tilting her head innocently and analyzing Emira. Emira started in shock and quickly shook her head.

"N-No, I actually don't know him very well. I'm going to be his partner while DWMA fights against the witches." said Emira, glancing up at the sky where dark, swirling clouds were beginning to collect. When she looked back down at Tsuki, it seemed her face had darkened as well, and she gazed at Emira sadly.

"What's wrong?" Emira asked, surprised by her sudden turn of mood.

"Oh, it's nothing... it's just that the rain reminds me of my sister. She was killed by the witches not long ago." Tsuki whispered, wiping her face as tears began to flow. "I-I'm sorry..." She whispered, turning away from Emira, who could only blink in wonderment.

"Your sister?" Emira repeated. Tsuki nodded, still turned away from Emira, who smiled sadly.

"I lost my brother about a week ago," she said, watching the sky churn and darken. Tsuki gasped and threw her arms around Emira, apparently unable to contain herself.

"Oh, how terrible for you! I'm so sorry..." She said, now sobbing into Emira's shoulder. Emira's heart twisted in compassion and pity – this woman was even worse off than her.

"No, it's all right... I miss him a lot, but life goes on." She said, patting Tsuki on the back. It took her a few moments to recover, but eventually she pushed herself off of Emira and took a slow, calming breath.

"My sister..." Tsuki started, reaching into her pocket, "she gave me this locket a few days before she died. I want you to have it... I hope I can be as brave as you someday." She finished, and hastily wiped her face as more tears began to flow. Emira was about to refuse, she couldn't take something so important, but the look on Tsuki's face said that she was sincere in her wishes and Emira took the locket, deeply touched.

"Thank you," Emira said quietly, admiring the deep red of the locket and its intricate shape. There was a loud banging noise within Dr. Stein's house and Tsuki blinked in surprise.

"Oh..." she sighed. "I'm sorry; I don't mean to keep you." Emira shook her head reassuringly.

"No, it's all right, you should stop by sometime!" She said, lifting up the last box and resting it on her knee.

"Oh, I couldn't!" She said, smiling and waving a hand dismissively. "I wouldn't want to disturb you. I live on the house at the end of the street, though, you can visit me whenever you'd like." Emira nodded, and Tsuki waved one last time before disappearing down the street.

The clouds had gathered quickly as they stood talking, and rain began to pour as Tsuki walked away. Emira hastily shoved the locket in her pocket and ran inside, shielding the obese box and quickly shutting the door. Despite the bipolar weather which now beat on the roof like a thousand drums, her sky was clearing.

**And yet another chapter has ended! Thank you all for reviewing the first chapter, and I hope you enjoyed this one as well! I'm pretty proud of the first paragraph, that's what I like my writing to sound like. What did you guys think?**

**I plan on getting the next chapter up sooner than I did with this one (I felt so lazy... it's been 11 days), so do not fret.**

**I LOVE feedback – questions, comments, criticism... the more the better!**


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